


Cleanslate

by Komo_Pineconeseed



Series: All the outs in free [2]
Category: Mad Max Series (Movies), Mad Max: Fury Road
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Nux Lives, Past Domestic Violence, Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Canon, Slit Lives, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 13:50:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10413615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Komo_Pineconeseed/pseuds/Komo_Pineconeseed
Summary: “I remember that conversation we had with Angharad about the Green Place, and I remember when Joe beat the Dag so badly her eye had swollen shut.  But you have to understand, Capable, that that happened a year and a half ago.  You’ve lost a year and a half worth of memories.”  Post-canon.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Mad Max Fury Road belongs to George Miller. The title “Cleanslate” belongs to SCNTFC and Night School Studio. 
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of past sexual and domestic abuse. This fic started life as a fun cute plot-induced!Amnesia romcom… but it got darker quickly. Part of the “All the outs in free” ‘verse.

She couldn’t move her limbs. They felt so sluggish and heavy.

What was going on? Capable opened her eyes. Leaning right next to her bed were Cheedo and the Dag. They were talking quietly before the Dag noticed she was awake.

“Hey there, sleepy head. We were really worried about you.” The Dag nodded to Cheedo before saying, “Go get Anna and Furiosa.” She paused before adding, “And Nux too, probably. Tell him to keep calm. We don’t need a repeat of last time.”

The Dag then turned to her and opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could say anything else, a primal panic descended upon Capable. Her gut felt like it was trying to squeeze itself up out of her body.

Darkness.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

There were people talking around her, but the sound was muffled and she couldn’t make any sense of it. The distinct taste of vomit on her tongue just made her more nauseated, but she couldn’t remembering being sick. Her head hurt. 

Did Immortan Joe do this? He hadn’t drugged her or any of her sisters before, but she had ceased underestimating the depths that he could sink. Her legs shook from the muscle memory of when he placed a thunderstick in her vagina as punishment for calling him a lying old man to his face. She shook with fear, making her head throb worse which she had though was impossible.

Capable coughed, and the sensation of a large rough hand grabbing hers made her recoil. There was the low long sound of an unfamiliar man’s voice right next to her. She tried to move away from him, scared of what Joe was planning, but none of her muscles would move.

Capable started panicking again.

“Capable? Can you hear me? Capable?”

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

She woke up extremely groggy, and her limbs were still weak. Small gentle hands were brushing her hair away from her face. Angharad’s hands felt a bit rougher than what she remembered, but it had to be her. Protecting her from Joe’s torment even though she couldn’t even protect herself.

Angharad was helping her up and was spooning something to her mouth. It was a hot savory soup, and Capable’s stomach growled. She managed to swallow it down, but she coughed a little when it went down wrong, but it was so good and Capable was so hungry.

Angharad smelled so nice. Different but nice.

Capable tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The first clear memory Capable had was waking up in an unfamiliar room. It was a bit chilly. She could move her head, although her neck felt a bit stiff. She sat up. The window was open, and she could see the pinkness of the morning sky. Next to the window, there was a table with some gorgeous flowers in a vase. Capable gaped. She had never seen real flowers before, only pictures. The breeze blowing towards her had a light sweet smell. There was another scent in the room that was sharper and masculine, but it wasn’t the godawful smell of Joe.

Before she had a chance to ponder more, the door squeaked opened. Capable laid back down and closed her eyes immediately. Maybe if she feigned unconsciousness, Joe would leave.

A sharp finger poked her ribs. “I know you’re awake. You can’t fool me.” It was the Dag’s voice.

Capable turned around to look at the Dag and then had to blink again. No, she didn’t see wrong. The Dag was wearing black from head to toe. Where did she get those clothes? Was that silk? But when she opened her mouth to speak, that wasn’t the question that came out. “Hey, Dag, where are we?”

The Dag raised an eyebrow up at her. “We’re in your room, you silly girl.”

She had a room?

“We were so worried about you,” her sister said as she sat down on the bed, “Anna found you shaking on the floor next to a box of old medical junk in the supply closet. Every single time we thought it stopped, you would start again. Furiosa had to pry your mouth open for Anna to pour booze down your throat. Mother of Gods, what were you thinking moving things in the closet by yourself? Those shelves are so high up even I have difficulty.” The Dag poked her again. “Next time, don’t be so stupid. Ask your War Boy to help you. He’s tall enough.”

War Boy?

“When Cheedo came to tell me, I was so scared, I ran. Ran. I still have stitches in my vagina. You should remember. You put them in.” She chuckled. “I hadn’t bled that much since two days ago. Don’t worry. Anna replaced the stitches, so the bleeding has stopped.”

What.

“I’m so glad to see you’re up. You still look a little dazed, but much better than you did previously.”

“Who’s Anna?”

The Dag stared at her like she was a weirdly colored two-headed lizard. “Anna. The old Vuvalini lady. The one who’s been teaching you to become an organic mechanic? The one who used to be a fancy surgeon Before.”

“Vuvalini?”

“Are you alright?” The Dag narrowed her eyes. “You talk about Anna almost as much as you talk about Nux, and that’s a lot. How many fingers am I holding up?” It looked like she held up three.

“Who’s Nux?” Before the Dag could respond, she pressed on, “Can you go get Angharad? I need her. I’m so confused.”

The Dag didn’t answer. She just continued staring before she just got off the bed and walked out the door.

“Dag!”

But she didn’t come back.

Capable lied back down onto the bed, gripping the bedsheets tightly. What was going on? Where was she?

Where was Angharad?

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX 

Someone was shaking her, and when she opened her eyes, Capable took in wise-looking old woman with Furiosa, the Dag, and Cheedo standing next to her bed.

“That’s my girl. The Dag told me you were awake. How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Confused. Scared.”

The old woman gave her a sad smile. “That’s understandable. You had a big fright. Do you remember what happened?”

Capable blinked. “Um, well, not really. The Dag said I was shaking.”

“That’s right,” the old woman responded, “You did. Pretty hard, and you wouldn’t stop.” She then turned around to Furiosa and said, “Her intermediate recall seems to be intact. That’s promising.”

Furiosa had a weirdly blank facial expression, but then the old lady looked at Capable again.

“Can you tell me what you last remember? Before the Dag coming in to talk to you.”

“Um… The last thing I remember was talking with Angharad about whether or not we should ask Furiosa to help us escape. She told us a little about her childhood home at a green place.” Furiosa looked startled and stared at her much like the Dag. Capable could only stare back as bits and pieces of her memory came back and didn’t fit with what she saw now. She continued, “Last night, Joe had beaten the Dag to near death. Cheedo had been crying by her bed, stroking her hand and treating her wounds. Her whole left face was swollen, and Angharad and I were scared she would lose her left eye. Dag, how did you get better so quickly?”

The Dag didn’t say anything. She just continued to stare at the floor, her posture stiff.

The old lady shook her leg before she started talking again. “We’ll talk a little bit later about what’s going on. First, I’m going to ask you a few questions to see how you’re doing. Can you tell me your name?”

“Capable.”

“And where we are?”

“Umm, no. I’m sorry.”

“Or today’s date?”

And on and on the questions and commands continued. Capable was able to answer some questions like the general time of year correctly and then follow some commands like touching her nose and then touching the old lady’s finger, but somethings were unexpectedly hard like spelling the word “world” backwards. 

The old lady sighed when she was done before turning around to Furiosa. “Should you tell her, or should I? She knows you better at this point.”

Furiosa nodded. The old lady stood up, and Furiosa took her place. She hesitated for a moment before putting her hand on top of Capable’s. “Capable, your memory’s been affected. You had a lot of seizures, and you may have hit your head really hard.”

Capable nodded slowly.

“I remember that conversation we had with Angharad about the Green Place, and I remember when Joe beat the Dag so badly her eye had swollen shut. But you have to understand. That happened a year and a half ago.”

What.

“You’ve lost a year and a half worth of memories.”

A whole year and a half. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Forgetting a year and a half of Joe’s torment?”

“Less than that. Immortan Joe is dead.”

Capable couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “When? How?”

“He died around 7 months ago. While I was helping you escape to the Green Place.”

“Then, we made it! We’re free!”

Furiosa nodded.

“But where’s Angharad? Why hasn’t she come to see me yet?”

All the women in the room froze, scaring Capable all the more. An explanation started forming itself in her mind, an explanation so terrifying it made Capable’s gut clench. But there’s no way it could be true. Angharad was Immortan Joe’s favorite, his Splendid. But Furiosa’s next words confirmed her worst fear.

“Angharad died.”

There was no way that was true.

There was just no way.

Not her Angharad.

Her best friend and closest confidante. But at the same time, it must be true because why wouldn’t she have come already?

No way.

Capable screamed. 

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX 

The sun was setting when all of her tears had dried. Capable rubbed at her eyes and let out a sigh before clutching her head in pain. So much had changed. Immortan Joe, the man who killed the world, was dead. 

She was free. 

Free. A word so foreign that it tasted bitter on her tongue. She had never been free before, not since she was chosen for Old Joey’s harem when she was just a child.

She was out of the vault. She could do things that she had only dreamed of before. She could help take care of the sick and helpless. She could learn to do things, build things, and make things. She could change the world.

But what did it matter?

Angharad was dead.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

How could Angharad just leave her behind like this? Didn’t she know Capable needed her? Capable could learn to heal the sick from Anna the Vuvalini of Many Mothers. The Dag made it sound like that was what she was doing before she lost her memories. But without Angharad, who was she to love? 

They were lying. There was no way Angharad was dead. She didn't survive Immortan Joe just to die, slipping from the side of the War Rig like a rag doll.

They were lying. Liars like Joe.

Capable was going to leave this room and go find Angharad, and nobody was going to stop her. Not the Dag, not Anna, not Furiosa. The canyon was to the east, wasn’t it? She didn’t have a car, but there’s no Immortan Joe to stop her from just walking out the door and leaving on foot.

They had to be lying. There was just no way Angharad could be dead…

Tomorrow. Capable was going to leave first thing tomorrow. She was so tired.

Lay back on the bed…

She was about to fall asleep again when she heard heavy footsteps, but Capable ignored it. Her mind continued to sink into oblivion when her door was shoved open.

Capable would have screamed if her throat wasn’t raw from crying. Standing at the doorframe was a tall War Boy with chapped lips and an intricate chest scar, just staring at her with wide, striking blue eyes.

“You are awake,” the War Boy gasped. “Oh glory be. They weren’t lying. You’re awake. Capable!” Before she had a chance to blink, he was at her side and grabbing onto her tightly. Capable froze, being held by this stranger who was mumbling something against her shoulder. She was going to reach up to pet his head when he pulled her away from her for just a split second before forcing his mouth on hers. Capable let out a muffled scream before struggling and biting his lip.

“Ack!” The War Boy pulled away from her and for a second, Capable thought he was going to hit her like Joe always did, but it wasn’t fury in his eyes. He looked betrayed. “What… what was that for?” He asked with a surprisingly subdue voice.

“That’s my question!” Capable screamed back, her voice hoarse, “What do you think you’re doing, just forcing yourself on people!? We are not things!”

The weirdest thing happened. The War Boy twitched back like he was slapped, and he fell off the bed, landing with a loud thunk against the stone floor. His lips started quivering, and for one incredulous second, Capable thought he was going to cry. Before anything happened, however, another set of footsteps reverberated through the hallway, and Capable heard the Dag’s voice along with it.

“Goddesses fuck you, Nux, I wasn’t done talking! There’s something— ” But whatever the Dag was going to say next was cut off as she came across the corner and stood in Capable’s doorframe, taking in the situation. “Oh.”

Capable and the War Boy were silent.

“You know him?” Capable asked. 

The War Boy looked even more haunted if it were possible, but the Dag grimaced before saying, “Yeah, I do. That’s Nux.” She cocked her head to the side before adding, “He’s your lover.”

She had a lover? What? Capable couldn’t believe half the things that came out of the Dag’s mouth these days. Angharad was dead, and she had an aggressive scarred War Boy as a lover now.

Before Capable could question her aloud however, the Dag’s grimaces contorted more, and she hunched forward clutching at her belly. Taking a step forward, she had noticeable blood on the floor between her boots.

What.

“Nux you smeg, don’t just stand there. Go get Anna!” The Dag’s breathing became more ragged after her command.

The War Boy gave a shocked jolt before turning around to look at Capable. He must have saw something in her face because he flinched and sprinted out of the room. Capable got out of bed. Her walk was initially unsteady from being bed bound for so long, but she was able to make it to the Dag without falling. The Dag seemed surprised to see her up, but her face was still mostly in pain.

Capable was able to help move her, and when the Dag sat down on the bed, she sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. Even with her black silks, it was obvious something was bleeding profusely.

Not long afterwards, Nux the War Boy and Anna the Vuvalini arrived. Anna was carrying a large black leather bag, her expression grim as Nux followed her carrying two short stools. He placed the stools down onto the ground and threw another kicked puppy look in Capable’s direction before leaving.

The Dag seemed to understand what Anna wanted to do, so she was better than Capable in that respect. She laid her torso and head onto the bed, scooted her butt to the edge, and rested each leg on a stool. Anna helped her arrange the stools so she could fit between the Dag’s legs and unwrapped her silks. It was like how the Organic Mechanic used to check whether her or her sisters were ovulating, but somehow with an old woman at the wheel, it felt much less invasive. Capable let out a breath as the old lady pulled out a flashlight and shined it at the Dag’s vulva. There was a lot of blood dripping from the lower section of it, and Anna twisted her mouth. She pulled disposable gloves over her hands, and applied a lubricant over them and reached into the Dag’s vagina.

“Just some pressure, my dear, to help stop the bleeding,” she said. A few moments passed, but the Dag kept bleeding no matter how long Anna pressed. Eventually, Anna sighed before turning to the Capable. “Go get me the suture and the sterilization equipment stat. The Dag’s bleeding has slowed, but it still keeps coming when I let off the pressure.”

Capable gaped at her. What was suture equipment? Anna seemed to sense her confusion and threw her a glare. “Well, don’t just stand there. Go get Nux or someone else to show you!”

Turning her head from the Dag, Capable left the room and rounded the corner. Nux was standing right in the middle of the hallway, his head down. “Capable, I’m sorry.”

He looked so sad that Capable found it very easy to forgive him, and it was obvious that something was troubling the War Boy, but she didn’t have the time to parse it out at the moment. “Let’s talk about this later,” she said to him, “We need to find medical equipment for Anna, but I don’t know what it is. She wants suture?”

Nux nodded before reaching over as if to take her hand. He must have noticed Capable’s discomfort, however, and stopped. The pair walked quickly to the infirmary, Capable having a little bit of difficulty keeping up with Nux’s long stride. She followed him as he wove through the stone benches and arrived at a heavy wooden door in the back.

“This is where all the medical stuff is kept. It’s where Anna found you on the ground.” Nux let out a harsh laugh as he held open the door for Capable. “They didn’t even tell me you were hurt until half a day later. I was waiting for you in the garages. We had a picnic planned for dinner that night.”

Capable was silent, unsure of what to say. Nux followed her into the room, and seemed to have very little difficulty finding a box wrapped with blue cloth, a jar, alcohol, and a zippo lighter. With the equipment in hand, they walked back up.

“You really don’t remember me?”

Capable had never heard a man speak so quietly. Nux seemed to really care about her answer, so she felt sad for him when she just shook her head.

**Author's Note:**

> PSA: If you or a loved one are having a medical emergency, do not give alcohol. Please seek out professional help immediately instead.


End file.
